


Rainy Days and Identities

by BlueLightningAndNexus



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS
Genre: Akira tries to be a good parent/brother, Aoi has Depression, Domestic Fluff, Emma and Akira are basically married, F/M, Fluff, Fujiki Yusaku is not good with emotions, Idk how she didn't figure it out sooner, Yusaku has Autism and PTSD, Yusaku is not subtle about the fact he's Playmaker
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-08
Updated: 2020-07-01
Packaged: 2021-03-02 01:35:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 17,316
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23536906
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlueLightningAndNexus/pseuds/BlueLightningAndNexus
Summary: Yusaku is endlessly fascinating to Aoi. He's infinitely intelligent, incredibly clever, and quick on his feet, but always hiding something.Aoi is endlessly fascinating to Yusaku. She's a remarkable duelist and a kind person, but oh-so-private, not to mention a famous celebrity duelist.One day, Aoi probes him for questions. He responds, and their relationship is forever changed.
Relationships: Bessho Ema/Zaizen Akira, Fujiki Yuusaku/Zaizen Aoi
Comments: 21
Kudos: 49





	1. Secrets Revealed

There was something about him that was fascinating to Aoi. 

His aloof nature towards his classmates isolated him from everyone around him. She rarely saw him interact with others, besides some exceptions at the Duel Club. The person he seemed to interact with the most was Naoki, and even then, Yusaku seemed to treat Naoki with an air of…something. Maybe not contempt; the teen didn’t give off the impression that he cared about anything enough to hate someone, let alone someone his own age. Possibly respect, considering their shared fondness for dueling. 

Well, that was another thing. Aoi, for the life of her, couldn’t figure out if Yusaku even liked dueling. She assumed so when she was first introduced to him, but he seemed to drag his feet through club meetings and display a below-average knowledge of the game, much like his attitude towards life. 

She supposed his knowledge of dueling was another thing that seemed open to interpretation. He seemed initially clueless about the mechanics, odd considering his quick membership into the club, which would have indicated he was already well versed and experienced in the game. Despite this, he would display a knowledge of mechanics beyond his own time that would have only come up in conversation if he were doing thorough research. One day he would act clueless about basic concepts such as tributing monsters for a Normal Summon; the next day, when he thought she wasn’t around, he would offer explanations for Ranks and Xyz materials, topics that haven’t been relevant to LINK VRAINS in years. If questioned by members, he would act distant and detached, as if he had no idea what they were talking about. 

This all brought Aoi to the conclusion that Yusaku only got close to the Duel Club for one reason: her. 

Sure, a normal person might find this narcissistic, but people often wanted to take advantage of her polite nature and connection to SOL Technologies, garnering advantages in LINK VRAINS and getting the newest high-quality products from SOL. Historically speaking, things like this tended to happen around Aoi. Her first friend in middle school was just some self-centered brat trying to get a new Duel Disk. Most of the relatives bothering her and offering “comfort” after her parents died were really just trying to convince Akira to hand over his position on SOL to one of them. These incidents only increased in frequency as Aoi entered high school and SOL grew more popular and wealthy by the day. 

Luckily, she was beginning to figure out these people faster than in the days of her youth, and oftentimes, she could deduce the intentions of someone quite quickly: they would ask about her brother, or they would be big fans of dueling, or they would pretend to be big fans of dueling. Sometimes, a simple search on the Internet revealed that the classmate was related to somebody working for a SOL competitor, or some rival of her brother’s. 

Aoi assumed that Yusaku was one of these kids, specifically, somebody pretending to be a big fan of dueling. His strategy intrigued her; rather than pretend to be feign interest in dueling, he seemed to feign ignorance, giving off the impression and telling everybody that he was far less knowledgeable and experienced than he let on. 

Aoi would be the first to admit such a bold strategy probably would have worked quite well when she was younger. Unfortunately for Fujiki, she wasn’t in middle school, and a string of suck-ups pretending to be friendly to her had turned the Zaizen teenager cold and cynical. 

It was why she enjoyed the Duel Club: none of them took her for granted, and none of them regarded her as little more than Akira’s kid sister. Her being a Zaizen was helpful, sure, but not because the other members wanted to take advantage of Aoi and her connections; it was helpful because that meant she could help them hone their dueling. 

When Yusaku asked her about her brother, Aoi wasn’t even particularly frustrated or angry with him; just disappointed that he didn’t put more effort into his façade. But, as time progressed, she found an odd development in Yusaku: specifically, that he didn’t have any development after this incident. 

Most of the time, if Aoi was being taken advantage of and figured it out, the perpetrator would make some defense for themselves, hoping to continue the illusion of being “friends” as long as possible even when it was helpless. Eventually, all realized it was a lost cause and ghosted Aoi entirely. It was a lonely existence, but one she was used to. 

And yet, Yusaku displayed none of this. When Aoi abandoned him in the park during their first meeting, he made no resistance, simply allowing her to leave. Nonetheless, he never brought up the subject, remained friendly with Aoi, continued to go to the Duel Club, never made any wailing, lying speeches in a foolish attempt to regain her trust, etc. In fact, he continued his façade of being a clueless player, discussing archaic Tuners and their prior impact on the game while nonetheless pretending he had no idea what a Trap Card was. 

One day, in particular, she asked him about why he was still a member. When confronted, he simply shrugged and told her:

“I’m not sure, I just want to.”

“Why?”

He averted his eyes from her gaze, looking to the ground as if he were lying. “I have no idea.”

And that was the end of the conversation. 

It was perplexing to Aoi, indicating that not only was he never trying to take advantage of her, but also he had other, unknown reasons for pretending to be so inexperienced. It was almost as if he were actively suppressing some part of himself, trying to hide a facet of his life from the outside world. 

He seemed like the student that should have been failing school, what with his habit to sleep during lectures, his refusal to participate in class (never so much as raising his hand), and his complete lack of any notes. Nonetheless, he excelled in every course he attended, scoring higher marks on exams in notoriously hard classes. Whether it was foreign languages, history, or mathematics as advanced as Calculus, Yusaku Fujiki never seemed to get anything lower than a 95. 

In any event, Yusaku was a fascinating amalgam of laziness, facades and brilliance. Aoi doubted that she’d find anyone quite like him in their school.  
Maybe these were the reasons she was intrigued by the thought of the two stranded at the school together.  
___________________________  
When Aoi sleeps, she dreams. 

In these dreams, everything seemed to move slower, including Aoi herself. 

Now, in her dreams, everything seemed to operate on different laws of physics: she could float sometimes, but in other instances, her limbs felt like they were made of lead, hindering Aoi from moving a muscle. Sometimes she saw her brother; other times, she saw her parents, or her former friends, or her teachers. 

Usually, it was nonsense, an indecipherable gibberish that meant nothing and had no impact on Aoi’s everyday life. Oftentimes, she didn’t even remember the dream itself; just some feelings associated with it. 

But this time...it was different. 

Instead of some make-believe, nonsensical, fantastical scenario in which Aoi only felt like a spectator to the events unfolding around her; the dream revisited her duel with Playmaker in crystal-clear detail. Aoi flew past him on the waves of the Data Storm, every movement on her Hoverboard launching amethyst data particles into the air and past her long strands of blue hair. He instantly caught up, moving to the right to avoid ramming into the back of her board. Aoi quickened her pace to match his own, and the two found themselves moving parallel to each-other on opposite sides of a river of  
data. 

The closer she got to him, the more she noticed his eyes: these two cold, emerald orbs that seemed to carry the gravity of his entire face. 

Aoi found herself entranced by the sight of these two orbs, not noticing the corrupting influence of Hanoi’s card over her…  
_____________________  
When Aoi woke, she found that the usual exhaustion that plagued her in the mornings had disappeared, replaced by a foreign sense of well-restedness and a dull, aching emptiness that seemed to surround Aoi as much as the storm clouds surrounded Den City. She asked her brother about the dream, but Akira just told her that dreams were a common symptom of antidepressants; obviously Aoi knew this, but this dream was so...real. 

She thought of Playmaker throughout the day, his green eyes haunting her. She would not see him again, not anytime soon, and the thought made her want to throw up. 

Today I have Duel Club after school, she thought as she entered her first class. That will take my mind off of him. 

It didn’t work. As the rain fell against the thick windows of her school and Aoi conversed with her fellow club members, she found her thoughts occasionally drifting to this enigmatic hacker, his green eyes and red-and-yellow split hair burnt into her mind. 

What she didn’t realize, however, was that the source of her confusion was sitting two seats to her left.  
________________________  
Yusaku enjoyed the rain. 

Considering his…everything, it would be a bit of a stretch to say he truly “loved” anything, but Yusaku enjoyed the rain about as much as he could enjoy anything. 

It seemed like most people did. The very idea of rain seemed to be a calming presence on the everyman: the repetitive dripping of moisture against windows and walls, the flat and consistent noise, the smells that always occurred the day afterwards, the nourishment it brought plant life, etc. 

Actually, it only seemed that rain was enjoyable if one was indoors, and it was no wonder why; it rapidly reduced anyone caught in the downpour to a sopping wet, shivering, freezing mass of ponchos within minutes. 

But for those indoors, rain was marvelous: it provided a perfect excuse to stay in the comfort of one’s home, watching the precipitation but free from its disastrous effects. It was the perfect combination for someone as introverted and reserved as Yusaku, who preferred to stay indoors in the world of LINK VRAINS most nights. 

…Except he wasn’t in LINK VRAINS. He was stuck at school, after a meeting in Duel Club with several people he barely knew (and Naoki, which he knew too much about). 

Yusaku didn’t intend to become such a full-time member of Duel Club, but ever since Aoi suspected he only joined to leech off the benefits of being acquainted with the Zaizen’s, Yusaku knew it would be suspicious if he quit the Duel Club. He would need to continue attending the meetings if he wanted to convince Aoi of his honesty. 

But truth be told, Yusaku didn’t really know why he was trying so hard to leave a good impression. He knew that at least part of the reason was because Aoi would be a valuable ally in his fight against the Hanoi; but such a partnership would only be compromised if he told the Zaizen girl he was Playmaker, which he never intended to reveal and never will intend to do. So why? 

Who knows.  
_________________  
He sat out on one of the benches near the school grounds. The bench was tucked slightly under the roof of the building, letting him sit without getting wet from the rain. He’d called Kusanagi already, and when he didn’t get a response, he shot his guardian a text, asking if he could pick him up from the rain. With all the electronic gear on Yusaku, including his laptop and duel disk, it’d be suicide to go out in the rain. 

With no response, he decided to simply wait. 

He closed his eyes and leaned his head back, allowing the sounds of the rain to lull and sooth him. Water has a strange effect on humans, he found. Any sound of it seems relaxing to the ear. The sound of rain, a waterfall, a bathtub filling...all put the mind at ease. With some spare time on his hands, Yusaku started the breathing practices his therapist recommended for him: in, then out. In, and then out. In-- 

“Mind if I sit here?”

He opened one emerald eye to find Aoi looking down at him, hovering slightly over his face. Content, he closed the eye again, and resumed his meditation session. 

“Go ahead.”

There was just enough space left on the bench for one more person without it being cramped or uncomfortable. Satisfied, Aoi took a seat and propped her backpack up against her foot. 

In, and then out. It was a rhythm, one that became automatic for Yusaku after a while. Bringing oxygen into his body, replenishing his system, and keeping himself cool. 

“Why did you save me back there?” Aoi suddenly asked.

Without opening his eyes, Yusaku contemplated the question for a moment. “I don’t know,” he finally said. “It’s what any normal person would do, right?”

“I’m not sure. I hope so.”

The two sit on that reply for a moment, before Yusaku finally opens both eyes. 

“Was there something else you wanted to ask me?”

She isn’t sure what to say, at first. The answer is an obvious “yes,” but it takes a moment for her to put together a cohesive train of thought. 

“I’ve felt weird about that day for a while. I still can’t help but shake the feeling that you only joined the club to get close to my wealth, like so many others. But instead, you saved my life, and you seem like you enjoy being around us.”

Despite how much they annoyed him, and how little he still knew about it, Yusaku couldn’t lie: a tiny part of him, deep down, did enjoy their company. But he would never admit this. 

“I already told you, Zaizen, I was never in it for your wealth.”

“Then why?”

She found herself staring into his eyes. Those emerald orbs of his felt so familiar to her, but she couldn’t possibly figure out why. She’d never seen someone with such bright green eyes in real life, only in VRAINS or in the fiction books she read. 

Same for his hair. Not many people had naturally blue hair, and especially with the pink highlights. She wondered if he dyed it. But not just the color, but the style. Where had she seen it before? All at once, Aoi started to realize how long she'd been staring at his face, and looked away, blushing. 

“Why have I joined? Same as anyone else there. I want to learn more about the game.”

The two sat in silence for a moment. Aoi listened to the rain fall. It was getting worse, and it wasn’t showing signs of stopping anytime soon. Her brother wouldn’t be here for several more minutes; he didn’t get off work until recently. 

“That’s bullshit,” she told him curtly. 

“Oh?” Yusaku asked, curious. 

“You don’t need to learn anything more about the game.”

“Zaizen, that’s a rather narrow view of the world, don’t you think? It’s always possible for people to improve and learn more.”

Unconvinced, Aoi shook her head. “Not you. You’re a genius.”

“Zaizen, I’m not--”

“You are. You know everything. I always see you helping out the newer members. You have a knowledge of things that the rest of us haven’t even heard about: Tuners and Ranks and Pendulum Scales and Flip Summons and Gemini monsters and a million other mechanics I’ve never heard of. And not just Duel Monsters: all card games! But then, once I enter the room, you act stupid, like you’re still the some rookie that talked to me those months ago.”

She turned to him, a fire in her eyes. As long as they were both stuck in this school, alone and with nothing else to do and nothing else in common, she was determined to get an answer. 

“Why is that, if you’re not trying to deceive me? Why is that, if you’re not trying to use me?”

“It’s none of your business,” he told her sternly, but she was unconvinced. 

“Yes it is! What is it about me that makes you think you need to play dumb? Do I strike you as that innocent? Or that stupid?”

“That’s not it!” he told her, his voice raising with each word, angered at her continuous barrage of accusations. 

“Then what is it!?”

He stood up from his bench, looking down at her. His fists were shaking, and for a moment, anger boiled up inside of him. 

“I’m not going to just stand here and let you accuse me of things I’ve never done, Zaizen. The entire world doesn’t revolve around you.”

His words were ice cold, and his gaze penetrated her spirit and split her soul to the bone. He reached down and grabbed his backpack. 

“I just wanted some peace and quiet while I waited the storm out. Goodbye.”

There was a certain finality to his statement, as if he didn’t intend for them to talk again. He started to turn around and leave, but she stood up and grabbed his arm, knocking her own backpack over in the process. 

“Wait!”

He turned around, eyes still blazing with emerald fury, and his anger caught her off guard. For a moment, she forgot what she was going to say. It took her a moment to gather her words. 

“I...I’m sorry, Fujiki. I didn’t mean to assume.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. If you say you aren’t trying to manipulate me, then I believe you.” Truth be told, there was enough reason to believe he wasn’t trying to exploit her wealth or connections, but she couldn’t shake the feeling he was hiding...something about him. Something dark. 

“Good. I’m just trying to be a better duelist,” he told her. He took a seat again, but held onto his backpack, ready to leave should she accuse him again. She took notice of this subtle behavioral detail. 

“Why? Do you want to become a pro duelist?”

He looked the other way, as if slightly embarrassed. Or, alternatively, it was because she guessed a bit too accurately. 

“Uh, no. It’s for something else.”

“Really? Well, you could become a pro duelist.”

“You think so? Event though Naoki said my cards were horrible?”

Aoi thought back to when Yusaku first enrolled in the club. The deck he displayed was a standard, ordinary deck made up of LIGHT monsters, mostly Normal monsters in particular. 

“I’m not going to lie to you, Fujiki. Your cards aren’t the best. Some people will tell you that dueling is all about spirit, but that’s a lie. Cards play a large part, and not all are created equal. But you’ve still been able to win against us a couple of times. Because cards are only one part of the game.”

Aoi felt fairly confident about giving advice to someone like Yusaku, seeing as she was one of the best duelists in the virtual world and hers was one of the top rated decks. (Oh, if only she knew the truth about him.) She pointed to her forehead, a smile on her face. 

“This is another part of the game, Fujiki.”

“My forehead?”

She laughed. He didn’t often try to make jokes around her or the other Duel Club members, but when he did it always worked. 

“No, stupid. Your brain. Even though cards are the biggest part of the game, the other part is how you strategize and use them. Naoki might have a better deck, but you can outsmart him any day. I’ve never seen somebody use their cards as creatively as you do.”

Yusaku...was never good with compliments. Always had been, always will be. Unsure of how to react, he simply rubbed the back of his head and looked the other way. 

“Uh, yeah. You’re pretty good too.”

The two sat like that for a while. Aoi held her hand out, feeling the rain on her palm. The rainfall was beginning to slow down. Akira would be here soon. 

“Sorry to pry earlier,” she told him. “I didn’t mean to offend you by asking about your dueling knowledge. If you say that’s not my business, I believe you.”

“No, it’s not…” he tried to reply. 

He trailed off. He couldn’t really tell her about his identity as Playmaker, right? Or could he…

“...it’s just. I’m a very private person. I don’t really like dueling, but I want to get better.”

Aoi laughed. “You’re so serious, Fujiki. Even when it’s just us, you’re always so intense. I see you talking with the newer members of the club all the time, and you sound like some kind of professor, practically lecturing them.”

Yusaku raised an eyebrow, squinting his green eyes at her. “So...do you always watch me at the Duel Club?”

Suddenly realizing how that sounded, Aoi averted her gaze, mortified. “Oh, shut up. You always watch me when I arrive at Duel Club, too.” 

They both sat awkwardly, suddenly aware of how much time they spent thinking about the other person. 

Yusaku sighed. He reached into his bag. He was going to tell her at some point, right? If she’s that suspicious of him, he might as well do it now. He planned on forming an alliance with her soon anyways. 

“Do you really want to know?”

“What?” Aoi was a bit taken aback, but started to register his question. 

“Do you really want to know why I know so much about dueling? Why I want to know more?”

Aoi leaned forward, intrigued by her peer. “Yes,” she answered. 

He stood up, looking out at the school courtyard, scanning for anyone else that might listen. Now was the moment. 

He pulled his LIGHT deck out of his bag, handing it to her. 

“Fujiki, what’re you doing? I’ve seen your deck many times before.”

“That’s not my deck.”

He said it so flatly, so quickly, so bluntly, Aoi almost didn’t hear it. 

“Wait, what?”

“That’s not my deck. I always keep it in my front pocket, but it’s not mine. It’s a decoy. My guardian--Kusanagi--gave it to me. This…”

As he spoke, he reached into the end of his backpack, into a hidden pocket he’d swown in months earlier. He’d never shown anyone this before. Inside of the hidden pouch, he pulled out his real deck. The Cyberse deck he used in VRAINS every night. 

“...this is my real deck,” he finished. “Look.”

Aoi examined the deck. Flipping it over, she saw that the first card on the top was...Decode Talker. “I don’t understand,” she told him. 

“I...I’ve always hated dueling. Ever since I was a child. But I’ve been studying some of the generation’s best duelists, trying to analyze their tactics, because of my activities every night.” Aoi gave the deck back to him. 

“What’re you saying, Fujiki?”

“I’m saying that I’ve been watching you because I want to form an alliance with you. You’re the best of the best, Aoi.”

He looked back at her, eyes stone cold and blazing with concentration. 

“Or, should I call you Blue Angel?”

Her breath caught in her mouth. She suddenly felt afraid. Her heart started pounding in her chest. Her breathing grew faster. 

“That’s ridiculous, Fujiki. Stop playing around. You’re starting to seriously creep me out.”

“Drop the act, Zaizen, I come to you as an ally. I’ve watched your duel patterns, I’ve studied you extensively. Everything down to the eyes is a match. You’re the number 1 Charisma Duelist on the Internet.”

“You’ve studied me?” she asked, backing away. “Y-you mean this whole time, you’ve been watching me in VRAINS? Stalking me?”

He tried to seem as nonthreatening as possible; she was clearly agitated, and he took note of this, holding up his hands in a surrender motion. “I haven’t had to stalk or watch you. We met face to face. Don’t you remember?”

She folded her arms. Her act was over. Her identity was exposed. All at once, she was able to pinpoint why his eyes seemed so familiar. 

“H-how do you know I’m Blue Angel?”

He smirked, putting the deck into his duel disk, and holding out his hand for her to take. 

“Because I am Playmaker.”


	2. Fallout and Family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aoi tells Akira the truth...ish. He tries to parent the shit out of the situation, with mixed results. 
> 
> Yusaku also tells Kusanagi and Ai, also to mixed results.

She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. 

All these months, Yusaku Fujiki--the resident weirdo and loner of their school--was Playmaker, the #1 cyber duelist? Aoi wanted to protest, to tell him to stop screwing around and take their conversation more seriously, but the second he told her she couldn’t deny how much sense it made. 

In an instant, her memories of their first duel flashed back to her. All of the things he did, the way they acted--it all lined up. That robotic way of speaking, his encyclopedic knowledge of the game, even his piercing emerald eyes...they all reminded Aoi of Yusaku. 

“Why are you telling me this?” she asked him. Akira always told her that nobody does anything without incentive. It was a lesson of the business world, but also of the dueling hemisphere. Playmaker’s worked for years as a lone wolf figure whose effectiveness (and popularity) stem from his anonymity and lack of interaction with the general public. For him to compromise all of that just to reach out to her, he must have a reason. 

“I’m telling you this because I want you to join me,” he told her. “That’s been the reason I’ve attended Duel Club and gotten to know you.”

“THAT’S the reason?” Aoi exclaimed. Yusaku averted his gaze, awkwardly scratching his neck. 

“Well, at first. But I started to grow fond of being in the general proximity with you. I consider you...something of an acquaintance.” He paused for a bit, gauging her reaction. “To a degree,” he added as an afterthought. 

Aoi...supposed that made sense. She considered herself friends with everyone in the club; oftentimes, they were each other's only friends. And it made sense that Yusaku would think of her as one. It’s not as if she didn’t enjoy his company either. 

“And you want me to...join you?”

“In VRAINS, yes. We could be partners, taking down the Knights of Hanoi together.”

“What makes you think I want anything to do with that?” Aoi asked, crossing her arms. Yusaku flashed a toothy and somewhat uncharacteristic smile. 

“Zaizen, come on. That’s a horrible defense. We both know you have a hero complex.”

Aoi practically fell out of her seat. “ExCUSE ME!?” she practically shouted. Yusaku gave her a pensive look. 

“Am...am I not supposed to say that? It’s pretty obvious. Most people would’ve just tried to stick to the sidelines and forget about the trauma’s that have happened to you, what with the Knights capturing you and putting you in a coma. But instead, you rushed back out to defeat that Hanoi general a few weeks later.”

Aoi was flabbergasted he would speak to someone so...bluntly. Almost rudely. 

“Not everyone is like you, Fujiki. We aren’t all cynical assholes. Some of us just want to do the right thing.”

He mulled over that for a second, putting a hand to his chin. “...Perhaps. But our motivations don’t affect my offer.”

“What would I have to gain from joining you, Fujiki? Or, would you prefer I called you Playmaker?”

Yusaku shrugged. “I don’t care what you call me, as long as it’s consistent. Just don’t call me Playmaker when there are other people around.”

He sat back down on the bench, looking straight ahead at her, eyes set. “Zaizen, I don’t take you for an idiot. Consider the tactical advantages. Both of us could reach our goals faster. And if publicity is what you want, we could host a rematch.”

Aoi hummed. She liked the thought of a proper rematch, without any intervention, to prove her worth to her fans--and, more importantly, Akira. 

Her mind started wandering to her brother. He would never let an alliance with a known vigilante like Playmaker fly, but he didn’t need to know. Should they ever host a rematch, she could simply tell him that Playmaker reached out to her recently, and he’d never have to know about a potential partnership, as long as she was careful and covered her tracks. 

“And your only goal is to defeat the Knights, correct?” she inquired. Yusaku nodded in agreement. 

“It’s all that I’ve wanted for some time now. I’ve been working slowly for a while, but I’m finally garnering some people to help.”

“Other allies?” Aoi asked. Yusaku’s mind flashed to Ghost Girl, the cyber treasure hunter and hacker he’d fought earlier. 

“...Sure, we’ll go with that word.”

Aoi couldn’t deny the possibility sounded inviting to her. She’d finally have a chance to prove herself, and instead of periodically--and sporadically--dropping in from above, she could help Playmaker on the frontlines. 

“Alright, what’re you propsoing?” she asked him. “Let’s hear some specifics.”

Yusaku cleared his throat. “I need strong allies such as yourself. The Knights are planning something--something big. As in, it could affect not just VRAINS, but the entire Internet.”

Aoi raised an eyebrow at that. “As in...what exactly?”

“Deleting VRAINS, and following it, the entire Internet.”

Aoi paled. “Wait...are you serious.”

Yusaku nodded. “Unfortunately, yes. Imagine the catastrophic consequences. Any security grid connected to the web would go offline instantly, so crime and theft would be sure to skyrocket.”

“Not just that,” she added, “but bank records too. Any family or corporation with money saved would lose it instantly. Banks would collapse on the spot.”

“All forms of social networking short of writing a letter would disappear as well. Most modern educational curriculums are online heavy as well; we could expect the entire education system to come to a grinding halt, worldwide. Possibly for years to come.”

Aoi thought about it. She was born in the early 2010s; her entire life had involved the Internet, essentially. Akira wasn’t much different. Their entire way of life hinged on creating electronics for SOL, which would surely go bankrupt instantly without the Internet. Everything her brother had worked so hard on...all gone. 

“There’s no one we could warn about this,” Yusaku continued. “I’ve mulled it over. I came into this battle to settle a personal vendetta, but this has grown bigger than me. I’d like to alert SOL, or the Japanese Cybersecurity, but I doubt anybody would listen. The only way would be if I exposed myself as Playmaker, but that’d ruin...well, everything.”

Aoi wanted to protest, but he was right. The anonymity she’d crafted as Blue Angel had set her apart from other Charisma Duelists like Go Onizuka; it’d allowed her to develop something resembling a normal social life, and keep her loved ones at arms length. Playmaker probably felt the same. Technically, most of what he did violated some regulation or rule in VRAINS; he’d probably lose any membership privileges, and might even face legal repercussions. That wasn’t an option. 

“The only way would be if we tackled it head-on,” he told her. “To do that, I need your help.”

She looked the boy up and down, giving a quick glance at the Cyberse Deck sticking partially out of his bag. 

“Why me?”

“Hm?”

“Why me?” she repeated. “There have to be hundreds of other Charisma Duelists out there that would love working with the fabled Playmaker. Ones with less to lose. Hell, some might even go to our school. Why me?”

“I can’t settle for just anyone,” he told her. “It has to be the best of the best. But you’re also keeping your own secrets, so I can trust you to keep mine.”

Aoi thought over his words. The best of the best. She couldn’t help but allow a smile to form on her face. She’d suffered some hard losses in the last few weeks, and he was able to kill her in one turn the first time they fought. It felt...nice, for him to acknowledge her strength after all that. 

But Aoi didn’t allow herself to dwell on it. She had other curiosities. 

“Can I ask you a question?” 

He perked up, staring at the brunette for a moment. “Go ahead, I suppose.”

“It’s not about the plan, or Hanoi. Well, technically, I suppose it is about Hanoi,” she corrected herself. 

Aoi thought back to the battle between Playmaker--Yusaku, apparently--and her brother. She remembered what Yusaku said about his kidnapping, his torture. 

“Back when you dueled my brother, he offered to help you defeat Hanoi. You didn’t take it. Why now? Why is it okay if it’s me?”

Yusaku tried to phrase his words delicately; he was dealing with the sister of Akira, after all, and with as little social grace as Yusaku had, even he could realize that for strategic purposes it’d be unfortunate to offend a new partner. 

“I...I suppose it’s because he wasn’t really helping, at all,” he told her. 

“I don’t understand,” Aoi responded. 

“You see, your brother didn’t necessarily want to help. He wanted to take over entirely. Part of it is the fact that he works for SOL--don’t get me wrong, that’s a major reason why an alliance between him and I would be impossible--but it was bigger than that. He wanted to take the situation off my hands entirely. And I...I couldn’t let him.”

Ten years, Yusaku said back there. Ten long, hard years since he was kidnapped and had his memories wiped. 

Aoi remembered the psychology class she was currently enrolled in. Her teacher had spoken a lecture the other day about amnesia, briefly mentioning infantile amnesia: a phenomenon wherein one cannot remember early events in their lives. For a parent, their child taking their first steps is a monumental moment; but the kid themselves might not remember. 

Most children develop their first long-lasting memories by the age of 4, maybe even a bit younger. But for Yusaku? His first memories would’ve been of torture, hunger, crying, and isolation. 

No wonder this was all he could think about. The Knights were present for the earliest point in his life, as far as he was concerned. 

Yusaku’s eyes narrowed in anger, the emerald irises darkening. “I need to be there when they fall,” he told her, balling his hand into a fist. “They ruined my life. I can’t remember who my parents were, or where I grew up. I can’t remember anything.”

Aoi put a hand on Yusaku’s shoulder, a somewhat awkward gesture of affection that she hoped seemed as sincere as she was trying to be. Yusaku calmed slightly at the touch. 

“I...I’m sorry that happened to you,” she told him. 

Yusaku’s anger faded in an instant, and he looked up at her. “Uh...thanks,” he told her. “For your sympathy.”

Hearing Yusaku's story always made Aoi introspective. He and her led vastly different lives, but with eerily similar outcomes. They both became duelists in VRAINS, hell-bent on defeating Hanoi. But unlike the boy across her, she still has memories of her parents, of a home. She remembers how happy she was the day her father remarried, how nice her new mother was, and how fun Akira was...just a teenager back in those days. 

She remembered holidays and travels with her family, the four of them going to cool cities bigger than Aoi could imagine and staying in fancy hotels. 

She remembers the big family dinners, and the board games they would play together when her parents got back from work and Akira returned from school. 

But she also remembered the bad things. She remembered being at home, alone, and wondering why her parents were taking so long. She remembered tall officers in blue coming to collect her and telling her what happened. She remembered Akira crying for days on end, then closing himself in his room to study for hours on end. 

“I can’t possibly understand what that pain must be like,” she finally said, after what felt like hours of silence. 

Before Yusaku could respond, Aoi perked up and looked past him, at the sound of a car coming. 

A long, thin black electric automobile rolled past the school gate and into the driveway in front of the main entrance. Aoi recognized her brother’s blue hair and sharp gray suit. Grabbing her bag, she jumped to her feet. 

“Shit, Akira’s here,” she said, grabbing her phone and walking over. She stopped mid-stride, turning back to Yusaku for a brief moment. 

“Fujiki, can you meet me in VRAINS tonight?”

“Name a time and place,” he replied. 

“7:30, on top of the building we first dueled in the Neon District. Come alone.”

“I always do,” he told her, as he tucked his Cyberse Deck back into the hidden pocket of his backpack. 

She strolled off, quickly getting in her brother’s car. The two sped away. 

“How was school?” Akira asked after a few seconds of silence. Aoi hummed. “Fine, pretty uneventful,” she lied. 

“Who was that boy?” Akira asked. “Was that Fujiki?”

Aoi paled for a second. Did Akira already know? Was their plan over before it began? “How...do you know him?”

“He brought you to the hospital, remember? I bumped into him when you woke up, he came to check on you.”

Aoi exhaled in relief. Good, the secret was still safe. But she immediately took notice of something else that her brother said. 

“Wait, he came to visit me?”

“Yeah,” Akira told her as he started to turn, “it was right as I was getting there. I thanked him for saving you. Nice kid.”

Aoi thought about that for a moment. That’s...actually really sweet of him. She started to blush. Of course, the time he came to visit her in the hospital, she was completely unconscious and her brother was right there. 

Akira drove for several more seconds without saying a word, before his curiosity got the better of him. “So...are you two dating?”

Aoi had to resist the urge to laugh. Of course, that’s the immediate conclusion Akira jumps to. “No, I was just talking to him,” she lied. “He was waiting out the rain and I’d been waiting for you to pick me up.”

“Aoi, all I’m saying is, if you are dating, I won’t be mad,” Akira said, utterly deadpan. He started to pull into their driveway. 

“Hey!” Aoi exclaimed. “Don’t be like that, he saved my life, remember? I’m not dating him, I was just thanking him.”

“You’re a young woman, Aoi,” Akira told her. “There’s nothing wrong with having an interest in boys.” He paused for a second, mulling over his thoughts. “Or, anyone for that matter.”

“AKIRA!” she shouted. She couldn’t believe she was having this conversation. 

“As long as you use protection, I don’t have any problems with it.” Aoi’s face went scarlet. 

“Just be mindful of his character,” Akira told her. “He might seem like a nice guy, but a lot of his boys his age aren’t suitable dating material. Tread lightly. And talk to me if you want advice, or have any questions.”

He parked the car in their driveway. Aoi...really, really didn’t like the direction this conversation took. 

“Actually, talk to Emma. I don’t know anything about dating,” he corrected himself. 

If nothing else, Akira Zaizen was honest. Usually. 

But, on the other hand, if she and Yusaku were going to be partners, this...might not be a bad idea. After all, Akira’s watchful eye was one of the biggest obstacles of a potential alliance. Akira still didn’t trust Playmaker, but he didn’t seem to have a problem with Yusaku. 

As Akira took the keys out of the ignition, he and Aoi each exited the car. Aoi took a deep breath, and prepared herself for the words coming out of her mouth. 

“Akira, you’re...kind of right.” 

Her older brother raised an eyebrow. God, she couldn’t believe she was doing this. She immediately regretted those 5 words. 

“We’re not dating, but I do...like Fujiki. I’ll probably be spending more time with him. We’re not dating--and we’re definetly not having sex--but I do...have an interest in him.”

She could not have made that sound more stilted if she tried. 

Akira didn’t seem to notice. He smiled and put his arm around his sister. 

“That’s great to hear, Aoi. I’m really proud of you. You’ve been making a lot of progress this last year. Maybe if I were to meet him--”

“No!” Aoi practically shouted. Realizing her mistake, she put her hand over her mouth. 

“Oh,” Akira awkwardly trailed off. “Is...there a reason?”

Oh god, oh fuck, she thought to herself. Think of something, ANYTHING. 

“He’s just...a really shy person,” Aoi decided on. Yeah, sure, this’ll work. “He doesn’t talk a whole lot, and I think he’d be kind of embarrassed by meeting you.”

“Oh, that’s understandable,” Akira replied. He unlocked the keys to their home and stepped in, Aoi shortly behind him. 

She immediately took a seat on their sofa, pulling her notebooks and folders out of her backpack. She had a lot of work she needed to do for her classes, and if she was seeing Yusaku in VRAINS she needed to get everything else out of the way first. 

Akira took off his suit and made a beeline for the kitchen, pulling some ingredients out of the fridge. “What did we decide on, Aoi? Beef bulgogi?”

Aoi took a moment to respond, lost in thought. “Oh, uh, yeah. Sure.”

As Akira started to slice the beef and turn on the rice cooker, he reluctantly spoke. 

“Aoi?”

“Yeah?”

“Do I embarrass you?”

She flipped her head around to face him, puzzled by his question. “Of course not, why?”

Akira shrugged as he continued to chop. “I can understand if you are. My job probably sounds really cool to a lot of your friends, but it’s actually quite monotonous. I don’t travel a whole lot, and we aren’t exactly the most lavish of people.”

“Akira, I’m not embarrassed by you. Why do you think I am?”

The lightbulb in Aoi’s head suddenly lit up. Yusaku. 

“Is this about Fujiki?” 

“If you don’t want us to meet, I’m totally fine with that. I just want you to be safe, alright? I remember being in high school, and a lot of boys his age--”

“Akira, it’s not you. I think you’re cool, and so do all my friends. He’s just...a very private person,” Aoi interrupted. “That’s all. Maybe you’ll meet him one day, maybe soon. I just...haven’t given it much thought.”

Aoi sighed. This entire situation was rapidly escalating, and she didn’t care for it much. 

“I...really don’t mind having him over. I don’t know what he’ll say, but I can ask him.”

Akira poured the beef slices into a frying pan, and a sizzling sound immediately consumed the kitchen. “Okay, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to push it. I’ll leave it alone now.”

When Akira turned around, Aoi couldn’t help but facepalm. The entire Internet is at stake, and Yusaku Fujiki--the legendary duelist and hacker Playmaker--is recruiting her and a few close-knit allies to save all of VRAINS and defeat a cyberterrorist. And now, she’s going to schedule a dinner date on top of it. Great. 

_______________________

“I told her.”

Yusaku was walking home to his apartment, on the phone with his legal guardian Kusanagi. He could hear the older man do a spit take on the other end. 

“WHAT?! That wasn’t the plan!!” Kusanagi practically shouted on the other end. 

Coming out of his duel disk, Ai started to speak as well. “Honestly, I’m just surprised he talked to a girl for that long.”

Yusaku groaned at the two of them. “Kusanagi, the plan was that I become friends with her and slowly reach out to her.”

“It’s only been a couple of weeks since you first met,” Kusanagi replied. “She still thinks you’re after her money.”

Yusaku sighed. He started to round the corner to his apartment, which seemed extra appealing today. “Well, obviously not anymore.”

“You told her everything?” Kusanagi asked. 

“Well, she already knew about the Lost Incident. And I showed her the Cyberse deck. So...yeah, basically.”

“So that means you told her about me!” Kusanagi shouted. Yusaku winced from the sound, holding the phone away from his ear. 

“Did you tell her about me?” Ai asked, using puppy eyes. Yusaku blinked for a moment. 

“Oh, yeah. I guess I forgot to tell her about both of you.”

Kusanagi sighed a breath of relief on the other end. Ai, on the other hand, seemed offended. 

“Why does it matter?” Yusaku asked his friend. “Most people already suspect that Playmaker has an accomplice, is it really that big of a deal if she knows?”

“Yes!” Kusanagi proclaimed. “I’m your guardian, so if you guys are going to be friends, then I’m, like, socially obligated to meet her.”

Yusaku sighed, pinched the bridge of his nose. “That’s...not a thing. At all. This is a strictly professional relationship. There’ll be no mingling with each other’s friends. We’re just trying to defeat Hanoi.”

“What if you have to meet Akira again?” Ai asked. Yusaku pondered that for a moment as he entered his apartment. 

“Well...I’m not sure. But that’s a worse-case scenario.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tbh this is just a romcom at this point.


	3. Friendship's Deepening

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aoi tells Yusaku that Akira wants to meet him. He takes it...alright, relatively speaking.

“It’s called the Tower of Hanoi,” Yusaku told her. He opened up a holographic scan of the blueprints on his Duel Disk. 

The two were currently in VRAINS, atop one of the tallest buildings in the lower half of the main Plaza. It was half-past eight, and the two had been going over plans for the upcoming siege against Hanoi for the last hour. Yusaku was in his normal Playmaker costume, albeit with a thin black jacket to hide himself from any other VRAINS users that might be nearby. 

Aoi had made an alternate account specifically for the situation. It had much shorter hair than her normal avatar, but still a deep ocean blue. She still had a clover tattoo on her cheek, but ditched one of the heart tattoos on the other side of her face. She wore a white t-shirt with pink highlights and a zipper, matching white shorts, blue sneakers, and stockings. Aoi didn’t know if anyone would recognize her, seeing as VRAINS was prone to many Blue Angel imitators in the last few months; regardless, she had fun making the avatar, which she jokingly called “Blue Girl.”

“Revolver is planning to launch it within the month. We have to get ready quickly. If he knows that I got the blueprints, he could accelerate his plans. After it’s launch, we’d only have about 6 hours.”

Aoi was trying to pay attention, she really was. But considering her talk with Akira earlier, it was a bit hard to stay focused. 

“If we can cut him off and beat him before the tower launches, it’ll prematurely deactivate,” Yusaku continued. “He has the master code, so if we can beat him, it’s game over for the knights.”

“You beat him last time,” Aoi told Yusaku, “and you can do it again.”

He nodded in agreement, and gave a brief smile at the compliment. “The tower willl start rising out of here,” he said, pointing to the bottom of the tower, “somewhere in the sewers of this very plaza. Ai and I have tried going down there, but it’s a damn maze. I don’t know how much luck we’d have in finding him.” 

Yusaku pointed to the top of the tower, which lit up in contact with his finger. 

“Based on the tower’s schematics, it’s going to be triple the height of the tallest building currently in VRAINS. If we can’t get to Revolver before it activates, I’m willing to bet he’ll go to the top; it’d be the safest place in all of VRAINS.”

“How would we get up there?” Aoi asked, putting her finger to her chin. 

“Currently, there’s no way for the Knights to build a structure this big without harnessing the data storms.”

“Like what they did with Go and I, when we fought them,” Aoi realized. 

“Exactly,” Yusaku said with a snap of his fingers. “I’m willing to bet they’ll hack into the system and open up the data storm channels to make it rise. You and I are both good enough riders we should have no problem using our hoverboards to make it to the top.”

Yusaku closed the hologram, looking around to make sure they were alone. “Any questions?” he finally asked. 

“Will Spectre be there?” Aoi asked. The very thought of him sent chills down her spine. She could still remember the terror she felt at being his puppet, at his card consuming her with darkness. Before she blacked out during her duel with Yusaku, the last thing she remembered was his iron grip on her avatar. 

“We have to assume so,” Yusaku told her. “I’ve been watching Revolver for a while. I’ve even dueled him twice. He’s the kind of guy that likes to do everything himself.”

Aoi remembered what Akira told her of Revolver, when he came down and challenged Playmaker to the duel. An ultra-confident, highly-intelligent and merciless yet charismatic leader, with fiery red hair and dead, yellow eyes. 

“But Spectre was the one to infect you. For Revolver to have not done it himself, that must mean he really trusts Spectre.”

“So Spectre is his right-hand man?” Aoi asked. 

“Bingo,” Yusaku told her. “And I doubt the right-hand man of the Knights will be absent during their hour of glory.”

Aoi shivered at the thought. She wanted to confront him--to beat him with every fiber of her strength in a duel, if only to prove he still didn’t have power over her. But she was also deathly afraid of going back under. If she was consumed with the virus once more, she might never come back. 

“We need to start optimizing our decks if we want to beat them,” Yusaku told her. “I think we should start training, having practice duels with each other. Plus, if we train with Speed Duels, I can use Storm Access and acquire even more Link monsters to use against Revolver.”

Aoi couldn’t deny that was a good idea. Besides, she rarely had to use her own Skill in dueling; her fights against Yusaku and Baira were some of the first times she’d broken it out in recent memory. Dueling against Yusaku could give her reason to hone her Skill, just as he could hone his. 

“You have no control over what cards you pull, correct?” she asked him. Yusaku made a “so-and-so” gesture with his hand. 

“I can only pull Link monsters, and they have to be Cyberses. So, for example, I couldn’t pull out a new Trickstar and just give it to you after the duel is done. I do have some degree of control, but it’s largely dependent on the storm itself.”

He pulled out his Duel Disk and hit a button; the Extra Deck slit opened, and he pulled out some of his cards, showing it to her. 

“I think the network likes to follow patterns when I use that skill.”

“Patterns? Like what?” she asked. 

Yusaku pulled out four specific cards: Decode Talker, Encode Talker, Powercode Talker, and Excode Talker. 

“Like, these four, for instance. I call them Code Talkers. I’ve never found any record on someone having these cards, but I pulled them out of the storm. All of them are LINK-3 monsters but with different attributes: Dark, Fire, Light and Wind. If I had to guess, that might mean that there are others out there with Water and Earth attributes.”

Aoi looked over the cards. She’d only ever seen Decode and Encode before; those other two were completely new, with powerful effects. 

“So, you think if we did a practice duel, you could prematurely get those other two Code Talkers?”

“Maybe, I’m not sure,” Yusaku told her. “The more powerful the storm, the higher the Link Rating, and therefore, the more powerful a monster.” He put the Code Talkers away and pulled out another monster, this was with an appearance both draconic and cybernetic. 

“Firewall...Dragon,” Aoi read aloud. “When did you get this?”

“The first time I dueled Revolver,” Yusaku told her. “It’s a Link-4, the only one I have, but I’ve never been able to get another. Everything else I’ve pulled from the storm is a Link-3 or 2. My theory is that the storm is dependent on how strong my opponent’s deck is.”

“What do you mean?” Aoi asked. 

“Each time I’ve pulled out new monsters, it’s had an effect that at least somewhat helps me. That’s what makes my skill so powerful. But with Revolver, his deck had some of the strongest monsters I’ve ever seen. I think that’s why the storm gave me Firewall. It knew I needed an ace in the hole to take him down.”

“So what you’re saying is,” Aoi began, “if I can hone my deck and give you a better fight than last time, you might be able to produce an even stronger card?”

Yusaku shrugged, putting his cards back in his disk. “I’m not sure, it’s just a theory. But if that motivates you to train more, go for it.”

Aoi smiled. She finally had a worthy opponent to keep practicing with, but there was still something else on her mind. 

“Any other questions?” Yusaku asked. 

Aoi hummed in thought, and turned to her newfound partner. 

“How do you feel about dinner?”

Yusaku Fujiki was...not prepared for that question.

“I...I’m sorry, what?”

“My brother wants to have you over for dinner,” Aoi told him. “To thank you for saving my life.” And because I told him I like you, she mentally added afterwards, but you don’t need to know that. 

“He wants...me?” Yusaku asked, pointing to himself. 

“Well, he wants Yusaku Fujiki, not Playmaker, but yeah. In essence.” 

Yusaku sat down on the edge of the building, looking a bit shellshocked. For a moment, Aoi was scared he was going to jump. 

As Playmaker, he’d defeated cyber terrorists, ridden hoverboards hundreds of feet in the air, and routinely surfed through the virtual equivalent of a tornado to get stronger. But the thought of having dinner with a pretty girl and her family knocked the life out of him. 

A deep scowl started to cover his face. Aoi smiled at him; as embarrassed as she was earlier, Aoi Zaizen was a woman of the finer things in life, and this included gaining some sense of satisfaction in watching her friend squirm. 

“You probably shouldn’t scowl that much if you do come,” she told him with a laugh. This comment only made Yusaku’s scowl lessen ever-so-slightly. “You can say no, if you want,” Aoi replied. “This is optional, if you didn’t already gather that,” she added. 

Yusaku sighed in exasperation. “No, shit, you’re right. I need to do this.”

“You...need to do it?” she asked. “May I ask why?” Aoi said, as she took a seat next to him. 

“It’ll probably be pretty awkward, but it’s not a bad idea,” he told her. “One of the biggest obstacles to your partnership is your brother’s approval, right? It would be suspicious if Blue Angel conveniently appeared with Playmaker to defeat Hanoi at the same time Aoi Zaizen disappeared to spend time with Yusaku Fujiki. But if I can meet him and convince him I’m not Playmaker, he’ll never have a reason to suspect me again in the future.”

Aoi was surprised he took something as social as a dinner date with a girl and her family and managed to manipulate it to further his vigilantism, but she had to nonetheless respect his dedication. 

“You think so?” she asked.

“Sure,” Yusaku said. “I mean, I found you on the roof when you fell unconscious, right? I might be in good favor with him already, I just need to maintain this momentum and stay in his good graces.”

Aoi was amazed at how analytically Yusaku could think. Even when confronted with a situation that was obviously disadvantageous to him and otherwise a hindrance in his plans, he still found some way to make the best of it and create a constructive outcome. 

“I’m glad you feel that way,” she told him. “Just...don’t scowl so much around him, ok?”

“That’ll be difficult, but I can manage,” he told her. 

“I tried to convince him not to invite you because you’re shy and quiet,” she told him, “but he kind of took it as an insult at him...somehow.”

Yusaku raised an eyebrow at that last part. “I mean, that’s not exactly a lie either. I live alone, for example.”

“Really?” Aoi asked. She remembered what Yusaku had said back at his duel with Akira about the Lost Incident. If he had no known family and went into the foster system, it made sense. 

“I suppose that figures. I just always see you taking to that guy with the hot dog truck in the park. I guess I figured that was a roommate or foster brother or something.”

“Oh, yeah, his name is Kusanagi,” Yusaku told her. “His brother was another victim of the Lost Incident, which is how we became friends. Technically, as of a few weeks ago, he’s my legal guardian now, too.”

“Oh, really? That’s cool. Maybe I need to meet him now, too,” Aoi said with a laugh. 

Yusaku’s eyes widened in terror. His and Kusanagi’s worst fear--unnecessary social interaction--was unfolding before his very eyes. 

Aoi, noticing the concern on his look, assured him. “Fujiki, I’m joking. I don’t need to.”

“Oh, thank god,” he exclaimed with a sigh.


	4. Dinner

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ayyyyyy I'm posting chapter 4 on 4/20/20. Nice. 
> 
> Anyways, Yusaku goes to the Zaizen house and has dinner, only to find a familiar face joining them at the dinner table.

Yusaku stood in front of the Zaizen household. Kusanagi helped him get dressed, but after vetoing several outfits that seemed either too fancy or made him look homeless, with nothing in-between, Yusaku settled on some black dress pants and a dark violet button-down shirt. 

Ai told him to get something nice--chocolates or flowers--, but what the hell did he know about social interaction? He was an AI, after all. Yusaku briefly considered getting them a housewarming gift before remembering three things:  
He hated spending money, on account of the fact he had very little.   
His relationship with Aoi was purely professional and he didn’t need to send off a wrong message.   
And they were the Zaizens. They were rich as hell. They could just buy that stuff if they wanted it. 

He ran a hand through his hair, before checking his phone. Aoi told him to come by at 6:00, and it was 5:59. He figured he’d wait another minute, just so he wouldn’t catch them off guard. It was best to be directly on-time, after all. 

That plan fell through when a familiar figure noticed him through the window and walked over, opening the door. 

Shit, Yusaku thought. I didn’t mean to be rude, I was just trying to be on time. 

“Sorry, Aoi, I didn’t mean--”

He stopped mid-sentence. The woman at the door wasn’t Aoi, but her soft, cunning eyes and purple hair were all too familiar nonetheless. 

“Ah, you must be Yusaku!” Emma Bessho said as she opened the door. “Aoi’s told me so much about you! Come in, come in.”

She gestured for Yusaku to walk in. He stepped into the house, taken aback for a moment at how...well, large it was. He knew that the Zaizen’s must have money, and he knew that the house was large--he could see it from outside, after all--but nonetheless, the sheer vastness and beauty of the interior caught him off guard. Especially as he’d been living in tiny one-room apartments for the last few years. 

He started taking his shoes off, when Emma began speaking again. “I’m sorry, I just realized I forgot to introduce myself. I’m Emma,” she told him, extending a hand, “Emma Bessho.”

Yusaku took her hand, and allowed himself to smile. Good, she didn’t recognize him as Playmaker. He always thought his disguise was paper-thin, but it seemed to do the trick. He recognized her, however; she barely bothered to change her hair or eyes at all from VRAINS. It was a miracle others didn’t catch onto her being Ghost Girl. 

“Good to meet you, Emma,” he told her, recognizing her from his and Akira’s confrontation with Revolver. 

He paused for a moment. What was her relationship to the rest of the family? She wasn’t directly related, at least she didn’t seem like it. Her last name was different, and she also didn’t look anything like Akira and Aoi. Her skin was lighter, and based on the first name, she was likely of American or European descent. Whoever she was, she seemed quite close to Akira. 

Speaking of which, Akira himself walked into the room, giving a slight nod to Yusaku. Yusaku briefly acknowledged him, before turning back to Emma. She wore a dark shade of lipstick, light gray jeans and a sky blue shirt tied at the end, but it was undeniably Ghost Girl. 

“I’m...sorry, I’m just a bit confused,” he told her. “Are you...Aoi’s sister-in-law?”

Now it was Emma’s turn to be caught off guard. She paused for a moment, before bursting out laughing. In the corner of his vision, Yusaku noticed Akira facepalm. 

“No, no, I’m sorry,” Emma said through giggles, “it’s not your fault. I get that every now and then. I am pretty close in age to Akira, but I’m just a close friend.”

At this point, Akira decided it was time to verbally acknowledge Yusaku’s presence. “Ah, Fujiki! It’s good to see you again,” he said, walking over and shaking Yusaku’s hand. Yusaku leaned to the side a bit, looking into the otherwise empty dining room. 

“Is...Aoi around?” he asked after a brief pause. 

“She’s upstairs finishing an assignment,” Akira told him. “She said something about logging into VRAINS tonight, I think she was trying to get it done before then.” Akira turned around and looked into the kitchen, squinting and checking the timer. “Our food is almost done. Dinner will be ready shortly.”

“I can go check on Aoi,” Emma told Akira, “and let her know Yusaku is here. She probably didn’t hear him come in.”

Akira nodded in agreement, flashing the hacker a quick, light smile. “I’d appreciate that, Emma. Thank you.”

He rushed back into the kitchen to check on the food. Emma made a sharp right to head up the stairs, but before she did so, she leaned into Yusaku’s direction slightly, lowering her voice so the older Zaizen sibling wouldn’t hear her. 

“Between you and me, though, Akira and I are practically married. That dork wouldn’t have gotten half as far as he did without me.” 

She giggled at both the thought of it, and at Yusaku’s uncomfortable reaction. He wasn’t exactly someone who indulged in gossip, and had no idea what to make of this. He just wanted to get this over with. Emma, on the other hand, somewhat delighted in making other people uncomfortable. 

As she went up the stairs, Yusaku walked into the kitchen. He passed a long room with a wide dining table; the table was a fancy work of art in its own right, with various hand-crafted chairs and a wooden surface that seemed to shine. Four spots were set up, with corresponding China plates, gleaming silverware and tall chairs that seemed closer to thrones. This must be the dining room. 

As Yusaku walked, he also got a quick glimpse of a window. Peeking outside it for a moment, he saw the driveway. Not only could he see what he presumed to be Akira’s car--a slick automobile that closely resembled a limousine, the very same one that picked up Aoi a few days prior--but he also saw a pink-and-purple motorcycle with thin handles and black streaks. That must be Emma’s mode of transportation, he thought to himself. 

Yusaku internally scowled at himself. He never, never allowed himself to be caught off guard like that. Even in social situations he had to attend, he always tried to stay two steps ahead, and he always knew what was coming next. Seeing Ghost Girl herself--the other person that was supposed to help him stop the Tower in less than a week--at the Zaizen’s front door and imply that she was in a relationship with Akira was...unexpected, to say the least. But he could have at least prepared for it if he was a bit more attentive while walking up the driveway. 

Finally, Yusaku reached the kitchen. It was a spacious area with a large, circular marble counter that Akira had placed several dishes on. Steamed broccoli, cooked asparagus, and toasted bread all were arranged in a line, and Akira was currently pulling a plate of salmon out of the oven. 

Yusaku didn’t consider himself much of a “foodie,” but even he had to admit, his mouth was watering at the smell. It was intoxicating. Akira must’ve been cooking for hours; the heat of the oven was making his hair fall somewhat on his forehead. 

“I might’ve made a bit much,” Akira said as he pulled the plate out, “but we haven’t had company over in a while. Aoi never brings friends over, she always wants to meet them at school or Internet cafes or such. I figured I’d celebrate that.”

Yusaku was a bit put off by this. He’d both talked to Akira several times in VRAINS and once in person, in addition to monitoring his interviews on the local news. He always seemed so robotic; for a man so young, Akira seemed to put a massive amount of effort into making himself seemed professional at all times. He never saw the man crack a smile and he never saw the man in anything but a light gray three-piece suit. 

Now, here he was, cooking dinner and talking about his little sister without a care in the world. To see the SOL director in a pink apron and oven mitts with his hair so disheveled, it felt...strange. Like Yusaku was seeing an intimate part of this man’s private life. 

“You made all this?” Yusaku asked, dumbfounded. 

“Oh, yes,” Akira told him. “I love working with my hands. I got a job at SOL, but all I end up doing is filing paperwork, shooting off emails and making phone calls. But when I come home, I love to cook. It’s fun making something with my own hands, and it’s fun sharing it.”

Yusaku felt a tinge of guilt. Akira seemed so...excited about this. He felt bad for almost not coming, and for still not wanting to be here. But he pushed that thought aside. 

Everything Yusaku did had a purpose. He was here because of his alliance with Aoi. He had an alliance with Aoi because he needed allies to stop the Tower. And he needed to stop the Tower to defeat the Knights. Everything had a place in his plan, and this was just one step of it. He couldn’t lose focus or get bogged down by guilt. 

“Do you need some help getting this stuff out to the table?” Yusaku asked as Akira spread a thin layer of sauce atop the salmon. 

“Oh, sure,” Akira told him. “That’d be great. Thank you, Fujiki.”

Yusaku took the bowl of broccoli and the plate of asparagus in each hand and walked out to the dining room, passing the staircase on the way. 

“Hello, Fujiki,” a familiar voice told him. 

Yusaku turned to the left and saw his newest ally descending from the stairs. Aoi wore a light, airy white dress, accenting her hazel eyes and hair. She gave him a brief but warm smile, and Yusaku suddenly forgot what he was doing, nearly dropping the dishes. 

“Do you need a hand there?” she asked as she reached the final step. Yusaku caught his footing and readjusted his grip, clearing his throat. 

“Uh, no, I’m fine,” he told her. “But thank you for the offer.”

As the two teenagers walked into the living room, Akira shortly behind them with the salmon and bread, Yusaku looked behind and made eye contact with Emma. The older woman giggled, mouthing ‘smooth’ when no one else was looking. Yusaku rolled his eyes. 

_______________

This was the best food Yusaku had ever had. 

Granted, he didn’t eat much food in the first place. But nonetheless, he was still blown away. Akira didn’t just enjoy cooking, he was a goddamn master at it. 

“Thank you, Zaizen, this is delicious,” Yusaku told the older man in-between stuffing his face. 

Aoi gave him a brief smile, but in-between her own bites, she kicked him lightly in the shin. Not enough to hurt, but enough to get his attention. He turned to her, and she quickly whispered ‘manners’ his way. 

Taking the hint, he straightened his posture, adjusted the grip on his silverware, and slowed down his rate of consumption. 

“So, Fujiki, tell us about yourself,” Akira told him. 

“Brother, it’s okay,” Aoi replied. “Like I said, he’s not exactly a big talker.” She put extra emphasis on those last words, chastising her brother for trying to pry. 

“No, it’s fine, I don’t mind,” Yusaku told her. Turning to Emma and Akira, he did his best to erase the traces of a scowl from his mouth and spoke. “Well, I’m Yusaku Fujiki, I’m 16 years old and a sophomore in high school, and I moved to Den City a few years ago.”

“Do you and Aoi have any of the same classes together?” Emma asked, eyeing the teenagers. 

“No, not really,” he told her. “I see Aoi in the hallways every now and again.”

Aoi suddenly tensed up, sensing where this conversation was heading. 

“Well, Aoi said you two had been spending a lot of time together,” Emma said with a full mouth, “so I figured I’d ask.”

Aoi blushed a bit, averting her gaze slightly. Akira stopped chewing mid-bite, eager to see Yusaku’s response. 

“Well, we do see each other quite a bit during Duel Club, her being the vice president and all,” Yusaku replied. 

“Oh? I didn’t know you had an interest in dueling,” Akira said. 

“He’s not terribly good at it,” Aoi added. “In fact, his deck is pretty bad.”

Emma couldn’t help but laugh. Yusaku turned to the side to hide the growing smile on his face. Akira shook his head slightly, a bit disappointed at his sister’s rude comment. 

“No, it’s true, Mr. Zaizen,” Yusaku mentioned. “Most of my cards are from the last few eras, I’m afraid it’s rather outdated. Aoi’s taught me a lot, however.”

Aoi internally rolled her eyes. Yusaku had an encyclopedic knowledge of not just Duel Club, but virtually any game. If he ever abandoned this Playmaker crusade and if the Knights ever fell, he had the potential to be a brilliant game master, the likes of which Japan had only ever seen once or twice before. 

“Do you have any hobbies? What do you like to do for fun?” Emma inquired. 

Yusaku...didn’t have an immediate answer. What he did for fun? Not much, unless you count hacking and tracking cyberterrorists “fun,” which he sure as hell didn’t. Emma might find that answer acceptable, being one of the best VRAINS hackers herself, but he best not say that in front of Akira. 

“I...like working with computers,” Yusaku blurted out. “I’m in a Circuits class, and I find them really cool. I like tinkering with them. In theory, at least.”

“In theory?” Akira asked. 

“Well, I don’t have a lot of money on me, so I can’t exactly fiddle around with a lot of newer technology. But I still have my computer and my duel disk, even if they’re each a few years old.”

Akira was about to offer to let the boy use some of SOL’s technology, but he held his tongue. He and Aoi encountered this situation before--a peer of Aoi’s started to join the same clubs and social circles as her, only to reveal that they just want the advantages of being friends with a SOL employee. 

Nonetheless, something about Yusaku seemed...different. He was a bit more genuine than the others, but still quite a bit closed off. He was hoping this dinner would let him get to know the boy more. 

“Well, you’d be surprised at all the coding software that even old computers have,” Akira told him. “Emma would be more than happy to show you after dinner. She works with that stuff more than I.”

Emma shot Akira a look that, from Aoi’s perspective, read something to the effect of ‘Dude, what the hell,’ before she asked a follow-up question. 

“Do you and Aoi meet on VRAINS a lot?”

Aoi nearly spat out her drink. Did Emma know after all? 

“She’s on that damn headset of hers nearly every night,” Emma offered, a mischievous smile on her face. “I figured she was talking to a boy.”

“Emma!” Aoi shouted. 

Yusaku gulped. Emma...wasn’t exactly wrong, but unless he wanted to reveal himself to these two, he thought it best to keep his mouth shut. 

“Aoi and I meet some nights, but I have a lot of homework most nights. I only meet when I can.”

Satisfied with that vague non-answer, he returned his gaze back to his food. 

“Just be careful on there, Fujiki,” Akira told him. “There have been a lot of...deranged people on that network since a few months ago.”

“Really?” Yusaku asked. “I don’t know much about that. I mainly just use it because some of my friends have VRAINS accounts.”

Aoi wanted to smirk and offer some comment to the effect of “What friends?” but she had to give it to Yusaku: the best way to avoid suspicion in front of her brother was to pretend like he knew nothing at all. 

“You don’t follow the news at all?” Akira asked. 

Yusaku shook his head ‘no’ while swallowing a mouthful of vegetables and salmon. “Not really,” he answered, with no further explanation. 

“Do you know about Playmaker?” Emma asked as Yusaku sliced his salmon into smaller pieces. 

She gave a coy smile at the boy. Ever since he stepped in, she was beginning to notice something about him that set him apart from other boys his age. Some kind of maturity or hardness others lacked. Emma tried to gauge his reaction to the question. 

Yusaku’s knife stopped mid-stroke, and he looked to the side, thinking, formulating a response. 

“Well, I suppose it’s not fair to say I don’t follow the news at all. I have heard of him, yes.”

“He’s a vigilante that’s been in VRAINS for a few months. He made his first public appearance a couple of weeks ago, and sightings of him are only getting more common, but we think he’s actually been in the network for far, far longer.”

Yusaku immediately took note of the edge to Akira’s tone, as if he were speaking of a bitter enemy. Aoi gave her brother an annoyed look, and Akira chuckled. 

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to make the conversation sound so dark. I’m just used to dealing with security threats all day, and I guess I still don’t know how to leave my work at home.” Akira awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck and took a sip of water, failing to notice the sudden scowl on Yusaku’s face. 

“Threat?” the younger boy asked. “Everything I’ve seen--”

He paused, collecting himself, being careful not to blow his cover. “Sorry; everything I’ve heard from my classmates has made it sound like he’s fighting hackers worse than him.”

Akira’s laugh disappeared, replaced with a tense, unreadable expression. “There are entire squadrons dedicated to stopping those very hackers, both in and out of VRAINS,” Akira replied. “I work with them on a daily basis. Trust me.”

Yusaku’s grip tightened around his fork, and he had to clench his teeth to keep from losing his cool. 

Across the table, Emma and Aoi made eye contact. Emma nodded her head in Yusaku’s direction--at his seemingly bubbling anger--and the two girls exchanged confused looks. 

“VRAINS is a massive place,” Akira offered, “home to not just gamers and small social gatherings, but to businesses, information, and even celebrities.” At that last word, he gave a quick, knowing glance to his younger sister. “Believe me, Playmaker is doing more harm than good, having such public brawls in places where important people could get hurt.”

Yusaku’s hand clenched into a fist so tightly the knuckles were turning white. But he stopped himself at the last possible second. He was here for a mission, and he couldn’t compromise it. 

“Yeah, I suppose you’re right,” he finally said. “I’m just a kid, I don’t know the full story.”

Before anyone could continue the conversation further, a quick *ding* caused Akira to turn his head back to the kitchen. 

“Emma, could you go grab the dessert while I clear our plates?” he asked. 

____________

After the dessert, Yusaku thanked Emma and Akira for hosting him, before walking out onto their front porch. 

Kusanagi said he’d be here at 8:00, leaving enough time for Yusaku and Aoi to meet up in VRAINS after the meal. Yusaku gave a quick glance at his watch. 8:02. Kusanagi was late. 

He was alerted to the sound of a door opening and closing. He turned around and was met face-to-face with Aoi, looking down slightly to make eye contact with her. 

“Hello, Zaizen,” he told her. 

Aoi gave a brief glance back at the house. “Sorry for what my brother said,” she told him. “He genuinely is grateful for you saving me.”

“As Yusaku or as Playmaker?” 

Aoi thought on that for a moment. “Um, both? The point is, he’s a director in cybersecurity. Of course he’s going to be against what you do. It’s not your fault.”

“I know,” Yusaku assured her. “I just...nearly lost my cool. I was pretty close.”

“I saw.”

“But it’s okay,” he told her. “I’m not mad, really.”

He looked up at the sky. Akira turned off the lights in the kitchen after Yusaku stepped out, letting him see the night sky better. A crescent moon illuminated the dark horizon. 

“For what it’s worth,” Aoi told him, “I’m proud of my brother, but I’m proud of you, too. You’re doing what needs to be done. Sometimes, the only way to enforce the rules is to work outside of them.”

“Really, it’s fine,” he told her. Taking a deep breath, he allowed himself to relax. “At least it’s over, right?”

“Was it really all bad?” Aoi asked him. “I had fun, at least.”

Yusaku looked away from the sky and back at Aoi, who’d taken another step closer to him. He adjusted his footing and turned his body to fully face her, their noses almost touching with his newfound movement. 

“I...suppose I did, too.”

He had meant to just leave it at that. Kusanagi would be here any minute. He still needed to patrol VRAINS and check on the Knights. He needed to go. 

In the split-second before Yusaku was going to turn around, Aoi wrapped her arm around his back and pulled him in closer. 

She had to stand on the tips of her toes to make it work. Aoi gave him a quick peck, her lips just barely grazing against his. Yusaku froze. He hadn’t prepared for this. He had NEVER prepared for this. But...it wasn’t exactly unpleasant either. 

She pulled away, readjusting her posture and putting her hands on his shoulders for balance. He was looking considerably more wide-eyed than he did a second ago. 

“Was it that bad?” she joked. 

“No,” he told her. His hand went up to his mouth, as if trying to process what just happened. “It wasn’t bad at all. It was...nice.”

The rumbling of an engine pulled Yusaku out of the moment. He turned around and found Kusanagi waiting for him on his motorcycle, gesturing for Yusaku to come over. He gave one final glance at Aoi, suddenly wanting to stay at her house with every fiber of his being. 

“I, uh...I need to leave,” he awkwardly told her. She nodded hear head, a smile on her face. 

“I know,” she told him, beaming. “Meet me at the usual spot in VRAINS tonight, okay?”

In his shock, all Yusaku could do was offer a thumbs up before he rode off with Kusanagi. 

As Yusaku sat behind the older man and put the spare helmet on, he could practically feel Kusanagi’s shit-eating grin. 

“Don’t say anything,” Yusaku commanded. 

“I never said anything,” Kusanagi said, the dumbest, stupidest grin covering his face. 

“Keep it that way.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AHHHHH I WAS SO EXCITED TO WRITE THIS!
> 
> Sorry I just got a new job so I haven't had as much time to write, but I was so excited when i got a day off because I've had this in my head for a week now. 
> 
> Also, side-note: I wrote Kusanagi as having a motorcycle because the mental image of Aoi kissing Yusaku only for a goddamned hot dog truck to pull up behind them was too weird, even for me. Plus I feel like Kusanagi would look cool on one.


	5. Is it a life worth living?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yusaku and Aoi try to talk about what just happened, and his single-minded behavior starts to concern her.

That night, an hour later, Emma Bessho prepped her own motorcycle in the driveway of the Zaizen household as Akira stood next to her, whisked away in thought. “What did you think of him?” Akira asked. 

“He seemed a bit...odd,” Emma replied. “But I think they’re cute. She could’ve picked worse.”

“You seemed to enjoy making him squirm,” he noted. 

“I do that with everyone, stop hating on me,” she snarked. 

The two made eye contact for a moment, before Akira took a step forward, pulling her into a hug, their dinner guest forgotten. 

“Goodnight, Emma. Talk to me in the morning.”

“I will,” she replied, the two hugging each other for a bit longer than what was normal for just friends. After what felt like hours, she pulled herself out of his arms and revved her motorcycle, before speeding off into the distance as he looked on. Looking out at the two from the window of her bedroom, Aoi watched the goodbye before putting on her SOL headset and logging into VRAINS. 

_________________

She arrived at the same building to find Yusaku already waiting, sitting on the edge of the roof, his legs hanging off. His deck in hand, VRAINS’ best duelist was going through each of his cards, mentally forming new strategies and reviewing old ones. 

“You’re a bit late, Zaizen.”

His voice was rigid, almost irritated. It pierced Aoi to her core. Weren’t they just having fun a few hours ago? Wasn’t he just saying goodbye at her house? Why did he always have to be so uptight?

“I was hoping we could run a practice duel. Assuming Revolver doesn’t know about you yet, we still have only a few days at the most until the Tower activates. Until--”

“I’m sorry.”

Yusaku looked up from his deck, confused. “Why?”

“It was stupid of me to think our feelings for each other were the same,” she told him. “I know you didn’t want to come to dinner tonight. I know you only regard me as an ally for your quest, but for the last few weeks, I thought differently. I had fun.”

Yusaku put his deck away without breaking eye contact. “How well do you remember our conversation at the school courtyard that day?” he asked. 

The day their alliance started, the day the nature of their relationship changed forever. “Why?” 

“I told you that day that I was thinking of you as more than an acquaintance,” Yusaku said. “I meant it. You’ve become a friend to me.”

He put a hand on her shoulder. “I’ve had fun these last few weeks, too,” he continued. “It’s nice to have someone else that I can talk about our VRAINS activities with. It’s nice to have someone to talk with between classes. It’s just nice being around you.”

“I made a mistake tonight,” Aoi told him. “I thought that we could be more than just friends. But it’s impossible. The Knights occupy all of your thoughts.” 

He wanted to retort, but he kept his mouth shut. She wasn’t exactly wrong, either. 

“I was foolish to think you could look beyond that, even for one night,” she continued. “If it’s all the same to you, I want to help. I want to keep working with you. But I just wanted you to know that tonight didn’t have to mean anything.” Yusaku thought over that for a moment. That really would be the best ending for the night, wouldn’t it? He didn’t exactly dislike the experience, and he considered Aoi a friend, but he had a mission that needed his full focus. An organization as big as the knights needed his undivided attention, even if he had allies. 

“I’m sorry, Zaizen. I don’t intend to hurt you, but I’ve just been thinking about this--planning this--for so long. And in the next few days, I’ll have a golden opportunity to face Revolver again. Everything I’ve been working towards...it will all be worth it.”

“And then what?” Aoi asked. “You’ve been obsessed with revenge for as long as you can remember. What happens when you’ve found it?”

She placed his hand in her own. Though this may be a virtual world, the thick gloves of his avatar felt rough on her skin. “What you told me and my brother that day, when you infiltrated the mother computer system, was horrifying. No one can deny that. No child should suffer what you did. But I’m worried about what will happen once you’re done.”

Yusaku shook his head, confused. “I don’t understand.”

She faltered for a second, probing for the right words. “All these years, the Knights have taken your life away from you. What will you do once you’re done? Will you still even have a life left to live?”

Whatever momentum Yusaku had going into this conversation had completely stopped. He didn’t expect to be questioned on what he would do once his revenge was complete. He figured, for once in his life, he wouldn’t plan; he would wait until after Revolver was defeated to decide what to do next. But now, in front of this girl that he’d grown so close to, that seemed like a horrible idea. “I...I have no idea,” he admitted. 

“If you consider us friends, then I feel I have a right to say this, but Fujiki: your entire life can’t be revenge. That’s not a life worth living.”

“It is,” he asserted. “Soon, everything will be over, but I need your help.”

“How do I know you’ll keep your word?”

“Huh?”

“How do I know that when this is all over, you won’t just go back to your normal brooding self, finding some new thing to obsess over?”

“Because this isn’t about me!” Yusaku shouted. “It was never about just me!”

His heart was racing at the thought of all the others, but Yusaku pushed through. “If what I remember is correct, there are at least 5 other children who were kidnapped. I have no idea what ended up happening to most of them. The only one I know for sure is Jin, Kusanagi’s brother.” Jin. God, when was the last time Yusaku saw him? Visited him? Even so much as video-chatted with him? Maybe Aoi was right. Maybe he was being too self-absorbed. 

“Aoi, he was even younger than me. They found his family shortly after the incident. He still has a father, a mother, a brother, people that love him. But…”

It was almost too painful to say, but she needed to know this. “It ruined him. He hasn’t spoken since they found him. He hasn’t recovered. I don’t know if he ever will.”

Aoi mulled over that for a moment. She couldn’t help but crack a smile, shaking her head as she laughed lightly. “God, you are something else.”

“Oh? Why’s that?” he said, unfazed. 

“There’s always some hidden depth to you,” she said with a shrug. “You want everyone to think you’re some mysterious, brooding loner, but in actuality, you’re just a big softie.”

Yusaku shrugged, maintaining a straight face. “I just want to help everyone else that was affected.”

In a flash, Aoi turned dead serious. “Yusaku, you’re a kind person, but more than that, you’re incredibly lucky.”

“Lucky?” he replied, dumbfounded. After everything that happened with him and the Lost Incident, he didn’t consider himself lucky by any stretch of the imagination. 

“You might’ve gone through something horrible, but most people would consider you lucky for surviving. Like it or not, you’ve been blessed with a life.” She looked past Yusaku, out at the city of VRAINS sprawled in front of them. Dozens of districts, all with hundreds of people, and a rainbow of gleaming lights coming out of them. 

“When this is over, promise me you’ll start to live life to the fullest,” she said, without taking her eyes off the city. "Not for revenge, not for others, but for you and you alone."

He walked back over to her, hesitating, uncertain. “Maybe you could show me how to start living,” he suggested. 

She turned around and was face-to-face with him once more, his face illuminated in the light of VRAINS. He placed a hand on the side of her face, briefly pausing to take in everything that led to this moment. He leaned down, and pulled her into a kiss. It was longer, more passionate and certain, yet it paled in comparison to the feeling of her lips in the real world. She pulled away for a moment, looking into his eyes, before resting her forehead on his. 

In the span of mere weeks, Yusaku had gone from a relative stranger in her eyes, to one of the few that knew she was Blue Angel, to the only person in the world she could trust with these feelings. 

For the first time in years, Yusaku felt glad to be alive.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I meant for this to be, like, 1000 words, tops, about Aoi kissing Yusaku again and I got distracted. 
> 
> I recently have been reading Berserk, and specifically the chapter "Cracks in the Blade" where Guts is finally confronted about his self-destructive revenge quest. That's where I got the idea for this chapter about Yusaku's ideology being challenged. However, I really wanted to leave it ambiguous as to how self-destructive he actually is.  
> My reasoning is that, a lot of times, in revenge stories, it is either glorified or outright condemned with no in-between. VRAINS is a much more messy situation. Yusaku is seeking revenge for personal reasons, but also to avenge those like Jin. Additionally, unlike other series, his revenge actually has a definitive end (being Season 1), and we see him genuinely happy and serene in many moments after. So I wanted to make it clear that Yusaku needs to start living his own life after he beats the Knights, while also not condemning his current course of action.
> 
> These chapters obviously show the two growing closer. Aoi and Yusaku are on an exclusively last-name basis, even if they use the other person's given name in their thoughts. When Aoi says Yusaku's name aloud when saying he's lucky, it signifies an intimate turn. 
> 
> Also, there's a stark contrast to how they perceive revenge and Yusaku's predicament. Yusaku thinks that Aoi is criticizing him for being too self-centered in his revenge, and he can't help but self-loathe slightly at the thought of forgetting Jin. In actuality, Aoi believes the opposite: she thinks he's being too selfless, and she wishes he would live for himself. So from the moment Yusaku mentions Jin, they're almost on two entirely separate wavelengths.


	6. Panic and Assurance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yusaku wonders what the fuck just happened

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IM BACK BITCHES  
> Anyways, I did not intend to write another chapter for this. Hell, I didn't intend to write anything more than a single chapter for this. But it's consistently my most popular story, and you guys seem to love it, and to be honest I love this pairing, so here we are.

After an eternity that felt far too short, Yusaku logged off VRAINS, Aoi giving him a quick peck on the cheek before he left. “Find me before school tomorrow,” she told him, and Yusaku nodded. As his Avatar turned to cyberdust and his consciousness returned to the real world, the battle-hardened cyber vigilante turned his head to the side to hide the blush creeping across his face. 

When he awoke in his bedroom, Yusaku briefly wondered if all that was a vivid hallucination. He softly hit himself on the head. _Get over yourself,_ Fujiki, he told himself. _You’re being ridiculous._

But in truth, he had every reason to feel strange. Happiness was not a luxury that was afforded to Yusaku often. 

There was an unmistakable rush that came with his life as Playmaker: the feeling of the wind in his hair, stinging his eyes but leaving him longing for more as he rode down the Data Storms; the euphoric high of turning a duel around and crushing his opponent with a flawless strategy he’d been building since the first turn; the satisfaction that came with successfully hacking into another Hanoi server, or stopping one of their operations. 

And yet, he never stopped to enjoy these small luxuries. It felt like a small, somewhat hollow triumph. He knew that all of these things were just steps to his ultimate goal: defeating and crushing the Knights of Hanoi. 

But now, he was offered a chance at happiness, a new breed of joy that he’d never experienced in his 16 years in this world, one that trumped all of those other sensations. As he laid awake in bed, reflecting on the events of the day, he kept coming back to a single, overwhelming thought:

“Aoi Zaizen...likes me?” he said aloud. The words felt foreign on his mouth, an idea that he never considered, a sentence that shouldn’t exist. 

He’d never cared about dating, love, romance or relationships with anyone up until now. But there was something about this Zaizen girl that had completely captivated him. Yusaku groaned. He should have known he was falling for this girl when he agreed to have dinner with her and her brother. That was rather uncharacteristic of him. 

“Why am I even intrigued by her?” Yusaku asked himself in the darkness of his bedroom, unable to admit even in the comfort of isolation that his feelings had gone beyond simple intrigue. “She’s a Charisma Duelist. Flashy, tacky, loud, over-the-top. Not my type at all,” he tried to assure himself, as if he even had a type. 

Yusaku turned in his bed, the sound of the fan lulling him to sleep. Ultimately, he knew that it wasn’t fair to judge her on her Blue Angel persona; there was so much more depth to her that the world would never know about. “But she’s also highly empathetic, and quick on her feet, and intelligent, and a fine leader, and a good friend…”

As he talked, he began to realize that logic worked better in reverse. “Wait a minute, why does she have feelings for me?” he asked the shadows in his room. When they didn’t respond, Yusaku concluded it might be better to just ask her in the morning. 

He checked the clock. It was half past 1. _Great_ , Yusaku thought to himself. _Just what I need, another sleepless night._

He closed his eyes, hoping to catch at least a wink of sleep before school tomorrow. Mere moments later, he heard his phone buzz, and without opening his eyes he reached over and grabbed his smartphone. Opening it with his fingerprint, he saw a message from Aoi: Are you awake?

Yusaku typed his reply back almost instantly: ‘No.’

Seconds later, he saw her own reply: ‘Okay, text me when you’re awake.’

Yusaku held in a chuckle, and moments later came a follow-up text: ‘You’re killing me, Fujiki. You’re killing me.’

This time, Yusaku allowed himself to laugh for what felt like the first time in years. ‘What’s wrong, Zaizen?’ he typed. 

He saw the three dot icon--the one that told him she was typing a response--dash across his screen for a fleeting moment, before it disappeared just as quickly. This repeated once more, before he got a short, to the point answer:

‘I wanted to make sure that actually happened.’

‘It did happen.’

‘What now?’ she replied, and he could practically hear the uncertainty in her voice, that anxiety that wouldn’t quite go away. He felt it, too. 

‘I’m not sure. I’ve never done that.’ he replied. 

‘What, kiss someone?’ she inquired. ‘I gathered that,’ she added as a follow-up, hoping he would find the humor in her statement. 

‘No, open up to someone like that,’ he added. He paused for a moment, the phone resting in his hands. ‘Also kiss someone.’

Humor wasn’t exactly one of Yusaku’s strongest suits, but he felt he became a bit better every time he spoke with Aoi. 

‘I need sleep to function tomorrow,’ he sent after a few seconds of radio silence. ‘I’ll find you in the morning.’

‘I’ll be at school early.’ she responded. 

Yusaku felt a bit embarrassed at realizing it, but everytime he saw the typing icon on Aoi’s end, his heart jumped a bit. 

‘Goodnight, Yusaku.’ she told him. 

‘Goodnight, Aoi.’ he answered. 

He put his phone down, and for once, he was looking forward to waking up the following morning. 

_______

Alright, scratch that, Yusaku still fucking hated mornings. 

He groaned as the alarm on his phone rang, wishing to every deity he knew that he could just be left alone and have peace. But alas, here he was, getting ready for school. 

Yusaku put on a pot of coffee in his tiny apartment, took a scalding hot shower in record time, and came out just in time to chug half the pot. 

“Shitshitshit, I’m gonna be late,” Yusaku muttered to himself, as he threw on his black school jacket and ran out the door. _Fuck, after last night’s conversation, Aoi’s gonna hate me for being late._

Or, maybe not. 

Yusaku came out of his apartment complex to find Kusanagi waiting for him, his bicycle revved up and a spare helmet in his hand. 

“Hey, need a ride?” he asked. 

Despite all the times Kusanagi embarrassed him, all the times he was a pain in his ass, Yusaku still deeply appreciated his guardian for moments like these. Without saying a word, Yusaku jumped on the bike and put the helmet on as Kusanagi drove off, wrapping his arms around the older man. 

They were almost at the school courtyard when Yusaku let out a massive yawn. Kusanagi gave his ward a knowing glance, and spoke. “Didn’t sleep much last night?” 

“Nope.”

“Staying up late with Aoi in VRAINS?”

Yusaku went silent, and Kusanagi could feel his hateful stare burning into the back of his head.

“As professional cyber vigilante/duelist coworkers, of course,” Kusanagi assured. His ward said nothing, but the older man could’ve sworn he heard a mumbled ‘thank you’ as they pulled into the school parking lot. 

_______

“He’s probably late again,” Aoi thought aloud, disappointment creeping into her tone. 

She was leaning against one of the trees in the courtyard, the morning sun shining on her pale face. Students were pouring in, most of them walking over from adjacent neighborhoods and apartment buildings, a few having ridden bikes over or been dropped off. The Charisma Duelist had been waiting for about 10 minutes for her companion to arrive, and her patience had worn relatively thin. 

For as studious, clever and academically gifted as Yusaku was, he never was good at being on-time for things. He was always late to school, frequently came late to individual periods, and never seemed to make it to Duel Club meetings when Aoi told him too. 

The brunette had hoped that after their late night conversation, Yusaku might make a greater effort to meet her at Den City Academy a bit earlier than usual. She sighed, and turned around, ready to go to her first class. 

“Zaizen!”

Aoi perked up and turned around, and saw her friend--well, whatever they were--riding over on a motorbike. Without the vehicle even coming to a full stop, Yusaku jumped off the seat and tossed the helmet back without looking, a confused Kusanagi just barely catching it. 

Aoi didn’t hesitate. She sprung from her position and jumped at her taller companion, pulling him into a hug. 

“Zaizen, it’s only been 6 hours since I saw you,” he flatly told her. 

“I don’t care,” she said, burying her face in his shoulder. “I missed you anyways.”

She snatched a quick glance at the brunette man on the bike--the same man who picked up Yusaku, his guardian Shoichi Kusanagi--who gave her a toothy grin and a thumbs up, before driving off. 

Yusaku hesitated for a moment, before wrapping his own arms around Aoi’s back, tightening the hug. When she eventually pulled back, she hesitated for a moment. Even with bags under his eyes, his bedhead a disheveled mess, and his clothes wrinkled and haphazardly thrown on, Yusaku Fujiki still looked incredibly--almost unfairly--handsome. The twinkle in his emerald eyes shone even brighter in the early morning sunshine, and without thinking, Aoi brought a hand up to his face. 

Yusaku eyed his female companion, looking down at her hazelnut eyes, her adorable dimples, her relieved smile. All at once, those feelings from the prior night after dinner or in VRAINS just seemed to evaporate, replaced with a new, equally powerful emotion: panic. 

“What’s wrong?” she asked, backing away slightly. 

Yusaku hesitated for a moment. What **was** wrong? The strange, new feelings he’d been having for his classmate turned out to be mutual, and she was quickly becoming more than just a trusted ally or a close friend. Why did that scare him so much?

“I...I don’t know,” he stammered out. 

She took his hands in her own. “Fujiki, are you alright? You look pale.”

He gulped. Such a simple question, ‘Are you alright?’ yet he couldn’t answer, for he didn’t know if an answer existed. Yusaku had always been someone who found comfort and warmth in monotony and habit; change had never been a close friend of his. 

Now, his relationship with his closest friend (Kusanagi doesn’t count) suddenly took a massive change in a completely unexpected direction. And, to top it all of, he got caught up in the moment the night prior at VRAINS and even initiated that kiss on the rooftop. 

“Did I do something wrong?” she finally asked, after what felt like several agonizing seconds of silence on his end. 

Now **that** was something he had an immediate answer for. 

“No,” he immediately replied. “No, no, no you didn’t do anything wrong.”

She waited patiently for him to explain himself, hanging on his every word. 

“I apologize, Zaizen, this is all just so strange to me. I feel anxious, and I don’t know what to think.”

By this point, people pouring into the main entrance or clubrooms were probably starting to give them strange looks, but Aoi didn’t care. 

“That’s alright,” she finally assured him. “You don’t need to think about anything.”

She backed away slightly, letting go of his hands. She averted her gaze to the ground, folding her arms behind her back. 

“I...I’ve never been in a relationship either,” she told him. “So I’m not exactly sure what to do, myself. I don’t want to pressure you, one way or another.”

“You couldn’t,” he assured her. “You couldn’t make me feel uncomfortable.”

She blushed slightly at that remark, and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “Thank you, Fujiki.” After a moment, she chuckled. “I guess we’re both in the same boat.”

“Yes, I suppose so,” Yusaku replied dryly. 

Aoi thought over her words. She and Yusaku were like a closed feedback loop; the emotions of one were reflected in the other, amplified, and sent back ad infinitum. After how comforted she felt kissing him in VRAINS, she couldn’t help but feel anxious at every word he said. 

“I’m sorry,” he said, beginning to realize the discomfort he’d sown in his partner. “I didn’t mean to magnify your worries.”

“It’s quite alright,” Aoi replied. Looking into his piercing eyes, she spoke, her tone a bit more confident: “But Fujiki, I meant what I said last night. I want to try being...more than friends.”

All these years, Yusaku couldn’t really say he had any friends. It was remarkable to him that someone would want to escalate a relationship with him at all, much less to a romantic degree, and he thanked the stars and heavens that the person that approached him on this was Aoi Zaizen. 

“Me too, Zaizen,” he assured her. 

She hesitated for a moment, as if nonverbally asking permission, before giving him a quick kiss. It was a sensation Yusaku was quickly becoming used to, and he found himself longing for more after every time. 

This time, after she pulled away, the corners of his mouth were turned up in a thin smile. “Come on, Zaizen, let’s go inside. We don’t want to be late.”

She followed him inside, and he reached for her hand, lacing her fingers in his own. 

The panic inside of Yusaku was replaced with that familiar warmth once more, and he felt himself breathing easier. He wasn’t quite sure how this all happened, and he still had no idea why Aoi Zaizen could have possibly developed feelings for him, but he was eternally grateful all the same.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> With this chapter I was really trying to emphasize Yusaku's insecurities and paranoia. In both of these, I was projecting a bit of myself onto him to make it easier to write. 
> 
> That made this chapter really fun to write, because after this great thing has happened to him, he feels a mixture of relief/love and overwhelming anxiety, because what if he fucks it up? What if his emotions got the better of him and his feelings aren't real? And he starts having all these questions and doubts, but it's balanced out by the fact that Aoi has the same doubts and they're basically emotionally-stunted children playing this by ear.


End file.
